This is a fairly high level comparison of the two, but given the recent surge in reviews of the new AMD platform I thought it was beneficial. Looks like we have a nice competition brewing! The Lynx system (A3850 + Gigabyte A75 motherboard) performs well and matches the Core i3-2100T system. The first Fusion APU, the E350N, manages even lower […]
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Intel’s Sandy Bridge Pentium chips released about a month ago piqued our interest for what could be a perfect combination of price and features for many HTPC builders. X-bit labs reviewed the G850, G840 and G620 and found them quite capable and recommended them specifically for HTPC use. With the G620 performing similarly to the Clarkdale i3-530 and sipping only slightly more power […]
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The quest for the perfect home theater PC (HTPC) case is always a challenge even in today’s world where there is a healthy amount of chassis to choose from in all shapes and sizes. While some people prefer an HTPC chassis which stands out in their A/V stack there are plenty of people that want something quiet, subtle and most […]
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Over the last several weeks we had the pleasure of testing the new Intel Mini-ITX Media Series Motherboard, dubbed the DH61AG. This is what I consider to be the first truly HTPC-centric motherboard. Since the first integrated graphics processing unit (iGPU) with HDMI output was introduced we have heard boards coined as the “the perfect HTPC board” or “HTPC nirvana.” […]
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Having seen Missing Remote’s reviews of the Intel Media Series motherboards it should be clear that they provide a solid foundation for a home theater PC (HTPC) build, but because they also include Intel NICs (network interface controller) there is a strong case to use one for your next server build as well. Unfortunately, Intel does not support server operating […]
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Having previously examined both the 95 and 35 watt extremes in the Sandy Bridge CPU lineup, we now turn our focus to the 65 watt 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-2400S and Media Series DH67GD micro-ATX motherboard with built in IEEE 1394a (FireWire) support. With the basic capability questions already answered, let’s find out if by providing four physical cores with lower […]
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In our launch coverage of Intel’s Sandy Bridge we took an in-depth tour of the platform’s capabilities. But our previous coverage was limited to a higher end member of the CPU lineup with a 95 watt TDP, that made is less ideal for dedicated home theater PC (HTPC) use–especially considering its tantalizing siblings scheduled to arrive shortly thereafter. Fortunately we […]
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In the past few years, Intel has really taken some steps in dominating the low power, small form factor board market. Today we have the Intel D525MW mini-ITX motherboard in our labs for review. The board is small, low powered and does not have a single fan on it. Don’t confuse this for a Clarkdale or Sandy Bridge system however, […]
Read moreWhen Intel gambled by packaging its graphics processing unit (GPU) with the central processing unit (CPU) in last year’s Clarkdale the home theater PC (HTPC) niche benefited immensely from the power saving, performance gain and features like HD audio bit streaming provided by the new platform. The bet obviously paid off, because this year’s Sandy Bridge melds the GPU and […]
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Intel DH57JG and Core i3-530 Review With more mini-ITX options than ever it’s a great time for small form factor (SFF) PCs. Enthusiasts are finding more ways to get the most out of these tiny boxes both in the A/V stack and backing it. Take a look with us at the soon to be released Intel DH57JG motherboard paired […]
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